this book is rich with well-developed characters, history, and language. the author has deep respect for family, medicine and ethiopia.
being half-eritrean, i was curious to see how the author would explore ethiopia and its culture and people. i know america is seen as melting pot of culture, but i feel like the author wanted to show that ethiopia was also a melting pot of all kinds of cultures. i really appreciated his outlook.
as far as the story, it was beautiful. i cried many times. this book had been on my tbr for a while but i shied away from it because of its length. i decided to give it a shot recently because i wanted to read a longer book that required emotional investment. i’m so glad that i read this. we follow one twin, marion, as he grows up in a catholic hospital in ethiopia. we see him stumble through childhood love. we see him try to forge ahead to develop his own identity as he leaves his twin, shiva, behind. we see him grow into a man, a surgeon, later.
this book was everything and had everything. it will appeal to all kinds of readers—those who love the coming of age genre, those who aspire to become doctors, those who want a book that will slowly hook into them, those who love the found family trope.
this book is a reminder that life is unpredictable but also beautiful. it’s a reminder that love is possible and is always available, that redemption is on the table.
if you like donna tartt and authors of her writing style, you will love and appreciate this book.
this is definitely a top 10 book so far.
by trailofglitter_